Title: Magic Burns
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels #2
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dystopia, Paranormal fantasy, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace fantasy
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: She kicked the blankets off and wrapped herself in the afghan, like a little mouse nesting.
Down in Atlanta, tempers – and temperatures – are about to flare…
As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. Now Kate’s going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one.
When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest – and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can’t stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive…
I loved Magic Bites, but Magic Burns was even better. Not only were the stakes increased, but Kate Daniels’ secret is closer to the surface and the challenges are WAY bigger. From the first moment, I felt thrust into the action. With Kate’s unique voice and independence, Andrews took us on a ride of pure enjoyment and enthralling fun.
Again, I loved the refreshing fact that although there were potential love interests in the book, and people who definitely wanted to sleep with the main character, it wasn’t even remotely an important part of the storyline. Kind of a by-line that served to remind me of the fact that many men are confused and challenged by women who refuse to sleep with them – not attracted to. Although I’m sure that eventually Kate and Curran will end up together, it really won’t matter, both to the storyline and to the overall character arches if they don’t. There is potential, which keeps us excited, but it doesn’t matter if they don’t.
Magic Burns further explains the amazing world that was so beautifully created in Magic Bites. With the flares of magic, more of the principles and rules that govern Kate Daniels’ world are revealed and slowly you begin to understand more and more of the story. The more you learn, the more immersed you become in her reality. This is no femme fatale that simpers and begs for pity – she is the kick ass heroine that we all wish we could be.
Earth and Skye 
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